It's
tempting to decide on neat Journey North activities you’d
like students to engage in and then figure out how you
can fit in your required teaching standards. Consider reversing
the process instead. When you do so, the studies and activities
you choose will help students progress toward your learning goals.
Here are some important questions to ask:

What are my teaching/learning goals? Consider
your teaching and learning goals as they relate to local, state,
or national standards. What do you most want students to know,
understand, and be able to do? Which of these might best be
met through Journey North? Don’t tackle more than you
or your students can manage.

How
will I know if students have achieved them? (What evidence do
I need?) Think about the different kinds of evidence
(formal and informal) that would persuade you that students
are making progress toward achieving these standards. (For instance,
Students would be able to interpret data, set up an investigation,
and create a map from data.)

What
are the “big ideas” and principles? (For
instance, Adaptations are structural and behavioral features
that enable an organism to survive in its environment.)

What engaging, essential questions will I use to focus
learning? (For instance, What drives and enables
monarchs to migrate thousands of miles?)

What
learning experiences, lessons, and activities will help students
develop the desired understanding, attitudes, and skills?
What knowledge or concepts need to be taught directly? How will
I accommodate different learning styles and capacities? Always
ask, How will this help meet standards?

Which
resources from Journey North and elsewhere will support this
unit?